1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to television display systems.
2. Summary of the Known Art
Initially, televisions (TVs) were capable of receiving outside programming via the use of an analog antenna. The analog antenna would receive analog signals from a transmission tower and the television system would display audio and video images on the display of the television. With the growth of cable television, cable television providers provided programming to televisions via a cable set top box. The cable set top box would receive television signals from a coaxial cable. The cable set top box would descramble these signals and provide them to the television, wherein the television would then display the audio and video images. Further improvements in televisions incorporated the use of additional electronics for “cable ready” television systems. These television systems already contain additional electronics for descrambling a cable signal, minimizing the need for a cable set top box.
However, with the advent of digital television, cable providers and others provided even more complex programming to a television using a digital set top box. The digital set top box has the capability of descrambling hundreds of channels but also had additional capabilities, such as providing on demand programming and other interactive features. Even more recently, modern television systems have integrated both an Internet connection capability combined with a high performance central processing unit and/or graphics processing unit. Many third party applications can be downloaded by the users of the television systems, including video streaming services and gaming applications.
As these video streaming services, gaming applications and other applications become more complex, more powerful processing is required by the television system. As such, central processors and graphic processors that are integrated within the television systems may become obsolete in terms of their computing capability, but the display of the television system may not obsolete in terms of the display capability. As a work around, some users utilize an over the top box or set top box in order to run updated applications. These add on devices, however, compromise the user experience, as the user now needs to operate multiple remote controls to power on the systems and to go to the desired content. Further complicating matters, each set top box or television system may have very different graphical user interfaces further compromising the user experience.